Patients suffer as TB doctor resigns at Civil Hospital

Sameer Singh

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, October 19

TB patients visiting the Civil Hospital are a harried lot as a TB and Chest doctor resigned from her post recently. The TB OPD clinic has been locked for the past over 20 days, as a result of which many patients have to return without getting treatment from the government hospital.

Patients have now started visiting the TB hospital situated on the premises of the Civil Hospital. There is one TB doctor available, who is also district TB nodal officer and apart from examining patients, he remains occupied with other official works on most occasions.

Sources said there had been an increase in the number of TB patients following awareness drives and shouldering responsibility of all TB patients would mean compromising on the quality of treatment being rendered to them. The authorities would have to appoint at least one TB doctor at the government hospital soon.

It is pertinent to mention here that Bathinda Tribune had highlighted the matter regarding operation of TB and Chest OPD from the Civil Hospital building last year. The news report had highlighted that TB is a highly infectious disease and its functioning from the general OPD ward could pose a danger to other patients. The report had also mentioned that despite being a designated hospital for TB patients, Chest and TB OPD was being run from the Civil Hospital building (general OPD).

Talking to Bathinda Tribune, Dr Amrik Singh Sandhu, Civil Surgeon, Bathinda, said, “Around 10 days ago, I got an intimation from the Senior Medical Officer of the Civil Hospital that the TB and Chest expert has tendered her resignation. Prior to her resignation, there was elaborate discussion among senior functionaries of the district Health Department, but due to differences, the doctor might have tendered her resignation out of emotional outburst. There is a certain procedure that we need to adhere to for running the affairs while discharging duties and if someone fails to acknowledge or abide by those then necessary steps have to be taken. If the doctor has resigned then it was entirely her discretion.”